News | Tuesday, 10th October 2023

Workplace health support for women working in NHS boosted with University research

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust enhances help for menopause, fertility support, pregnancy loss and endometriosis

Recognition and support for women’s health issues amongst NHS staff in Greater Manchester is to be boosted by a range of recommendations from University researchers. 

Education and training, backed by the creation of new policies on women’s health, will help equip employees at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) with the knowledge, confidence and skills to better support colleagues. 

NCA line managers and HR teams will be trained further around the menopause, fertility support at work, pregnancy loss and endometriosis, based on recommendations made by Manchester Met researchers.  

This research was carried out by the University on behalf of the NCA on women’s health in the workplace.  

As a result, the organisation – which delivers healthcare to over one million people across Salford, Oldham, Rochdale and Bury – is pioneering support for female staff in the health sector.

Dr Krystal Wilkinson, lead researcher and reader in Human Resource Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “While pregnancy and maternity are written into HR policies in all workplaces, our prior research has shown that support for other women’s health issues, and complications of pregnancy such as loss, is more patchy. 

“We were delighted to see that the NCA had committed to a comprehensive Well Women Strategy, acknowledging different issues across the life course, and that they wanted bespoke research to ensure their actions were evidence-based. 

“While staff and line managers at the NCA felt well supported on various issues, we identified areas for improvement in the availability of information for employees, confidence in disclosing issues to line managers, the levels of support available and access to appropriate provisions such as paid time off and flexibility.”  

Enhancing support

Researchers worked with the NCA’s Women’s Wellbeing Strategy Group, which was established in 2022 to make a significant difference to the support the organisation offers to female colleagues and address any areas of concern raised by women.    

The group has been developing a wide range of support around menopause, fertility support at work, pregnancy, baby loss and endometriosis and wanted to work with Manchester Met to better understand how well the NCA is supporting these areas and where it could make improvements.  

Staff across the organisation were surveyed by researchers and actions recommended around awareness raising, support for staff affected by women’s health issues, and support for their line managers. 

The research found that NCA staff had the most awareness about policies and provisions in the trust around menopause transition, while the least awareness was related to endometriosis and other health issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome. 

Sharon Lord, NCA health and wellbeing lead, said: “We are keen to prioritise the health and wellbeing of all our colleagues but we also recognise the need to improve and advocate better health and wellbeing support and experiences.  

“Women represent 78% of our workforce and we know that if our colleagues are healthy and happy there is a direct correlation to improved patient care and safety, business productivity and reduced absenteeism.  

“Through our work with Manchester Metropolitan we have already seen a significant increase in the knowledge of the Well Women Strategy Group and our support sessions are well attended. This is translating into colleagues accessing the information and support they need, when they need it.” 

The NCA team is now working with Manchester Metropolitan to continue to implement the guidance and recommendations into its own HR practices, including the formation of a new ‘Well Men Strategy Group’.  

Alongside Dr Wilkinson, the research team included Professor Carol Atkinson and Dr Sarah Crozier from Manchester Metropolitan, and Katy Schnitzler from the Open University. The finding and recommendations are outlined in a full report available online.